IDF pushes into Gaza City outskirts ahead of offensive

IDF pushes into Gaza City outskirts ahead of offensive, bolsters troops in Jabalia

Emanuel Fabian

Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday and into Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as the IDF increased its troop presence in northern Gaza as part of an offensive aimed at bolstering the army’s control in the area.

Witnesses reported the sound of nonstop explosions overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.

The IDF said Sunday that troops of the 401st Armored Brigade returned to Jabalia in recent days, joining the Givati Infantry Brigade, which has been operating the area — just north of Gaza City — for the past week.

“The troops’ activity enables the expansion of the fighting to additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning and operating in these areas,” the IDF said.

The IDF has said it is operating on the outskirts of Gaza City ahead of a major offensive that would see it capture the entire city.

Tens of thousands of reservists are due to show up for duty on September 2 for the offensive, which is likely to begin in the following weeks.

While fleeing westward from Jabaliya, schoolteacher Salim Dhaher said he saw weaponized robots planting explosives as troops advanced from the opposite direction. As they set the stage for Israel’s push to seize the city, Dhaher said he feared it was part of a larger effort to forcibly remove Palestinians from the north.

The aim is clear, he said: “To destroy everything above the ground, and force the transfer.”

Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City, and there has been little sign, ahead of the invasion, of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuating the city, which Israel says is still a Hamas stronghold. Many are exhausted by repeated displacements and unconvinced that any area — including so-called humanitarian zones — offers safety.

A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.

“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”

Others said they will not leave, no matter what.